Government blamed for rise in graft cases

By Robert Mutasi

Run For Office, a Non-Governmental Organisation in the county has challenged political leaders to avoid engaging in corrupt deals.

The NGO's Executive Director Wilkister Aduma argues that with politicians not involved in corruption, the country will be able to develop faster through good governance.

Speaking during an interview with NTV on Tuesday, Aduma said the country has many corruption consultants who should be utilized in ongoing efforts to curb the vice.

She expressed concerns that current efforts were not being any fruit.

Aduma has further condemned the government for failing to take action against prominent figures whenever they get involved in corruption scandals. 

She has also claimed that the politicians especially those who won the election are amassing public funds for their personal benefits as "compensation" for the money they spent on the campaign. 

"Acumen corruption is one of the skills that we have to unlearn slowly as a society," she said.

The Run For Office boss also says Kenyans are to be blamed for rampant cases of corruption.

"Our leaders are a reflection of who we are because people seldom elect people that don't look like themselves," Adumasaid.

She also blamed a rise in corruption cases on the wrong advisers aligned with the political leaders' offices.

The Executive Director now wants leaders to be accountable and to make sure they implement their manifestos. 

Corruption has been listed among the key challenges that Kenya faces today.

In Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, Kenya scored 32 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean").

When ranked by score, Kenya ranked 123rd among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector.